Persons who have suffered a trauma such as an accident or who have undergone surgical bone implants or artificial joint surgery often have difficulty in assuming a sleeping position which does not apply pressure to the surgical incision, or torch to the surgical implants and traumatized body parts. Underlying skeletal structures are protected by virtue of the sleeping (resting) position. Many such patients therefore sleep in a chair because of the technical problems associated with torch and pressure while attempting to sleep on the back or stomach A need has existed for a pillow device which will permit the side sleeping that significantly reduces the torch and pressures that inhibit the healing process. An effective resting period will shorten the healing time, decrease morbidity, decrease medical expenses and, return the patient to an active independent status more readily.
Various proposals for supporting the body of a user during sleep have been heretofore proposed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,021, issued to Hofstetter on Nov. 25, 1986. In this patent a cushion-like support is suggested which is placed between the knees of the user who sleeps or rests on his side. A different device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,384, issued Feb. 20, 1992 to Eary. In the pillow suggested therein, various attached together cushion sections of differing thicknesses are assembled to support a reclining user in a fixed position. That design, however, calls for supporting of both feet of the user in an elevated position.
While these and other examples of pillows and cushions enable a user to remain in one or more positions with varying degrees of comfort, there are no currently marketed or available pillows which are custom designed to fit the skeletal dimensions of an individual user to thus provide optimum support for the user based on his or her bodily dimensions. Thus, a need has continued to exist for an improved pillow especially adapted to situations in which proper rest is critical but difficult.